A recent trip to Mahabaleshwar and we came back loaded with farm fresh and handpicked strawberries. I wanted to make my own jam. Only after making it at home I realised, I may not want to turn back to store bought ones. The texture and taste of homemade jam is incomparable. Dense, delicious and a perfect spread for our breads and flatbreads. Use it as a bread and jam breakfast or smear it on a chapati for a delicious breakfast roll. This makes a great filling for for tarts and pastries too. Add it in your favourite overnight oats breakfast bowl to give it a delicious twist.
This is super easy to make. All you need to do is cook strawberries and sugar to a jam like consistency. Add crushed chia seeds and honey. Cool it to room temperature and store in a sterilised airtight jar in the refrigerator for upto 3 months. The beauty of adding chia seeds is that it gives a beautiful jelly like texture and mild crunch to the jam.
If you like this strawberry chia jam recipe, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handle.
Wash, pat dry on kitchen towel and chop the strawberries into quarters.
In an edged flat pan, add the strawberries and sugar. Cook it on a low flame. Later in the recipe there is a step to add honey. If not using honey then increase the quantity of sugar and add at this step. Cook on a low flame.
Keep stirring in intervals while it cooks. It will release water and begin to get dense. Should take approx 15 mins.
Add roughly crushed chia seeds and honey. If not using honey, add the same quantity of more sugar in step two. Also increase or decrease the amount of sweetener based on the sweetness of the fruit. Continue to cook on medium low for approx 10 mins.
The mix would turn into a jam consistency. Test the consistency by coating the back of the spoon with it and let it cool down. If it thickens and doesn’t fall off the spoon, its done. Or else continue to cook for another 5 mins on low flame.
The jam thickens as it cools so might be a little runny when still cooking. Take it off the flame and add lemon juice to balance flavours. Store in a sterilised jar in refrigerator. It should last upto 3 months without any preservatives.Enjoy!!!
Keyword strawberry chia jam recipe, strawberry jam recipe
A perfect blend of taste and health with my favourite fruits. This is so good for breakfast or mid day snack. And believe me, you wouldn’t regret this as post meal dessert too.
How to make it?
Blend together – passion fruit, mango pulp, dairy milk or any plant based milk, yogurt and chia seeds.The tartness of the passion fruit is so well balanced with the sweetness of the mangoes that there is no additional sweetener required. Use of fresh yogurt is recommended for this recipe to avoid additional sweetener. If you must use any, a spoonful of honey or agave syrup or stevia works best with this recipe as an additional sweetener.
Quick, simple and easy to make, the kids love it too. I used freeze dried mangoes for garnish but feel free to use fresh mangoes when it is in season. Also additional blueberries on top adds a good additional flavour to the smoothie.
If you like this passion fruit mango and chia smoothie recipe, do let me know in the comments below or connect with me on my Instagram or Facebook handles.
A blend of spices used in Indian Bengali snacks and foods. Add it in your bhel – puffed rice snack, dum aloo, chaat and more. I was born and raised in the beautiful city of Kolkata and the word ‘jhaal muri’ brings back nostalgia for me. The puffed rice snack was our go-to snack almost everyday after school. The jhal muri masala added tons of flavour to it. Over time, I realised this magical spice is used in a lot of other street foods too.
While we lived in California, obviously getting this wasn’t possible but to satiate my cravings by getting this spice locally there. Then i reached out to my friends in Kolkata and requested them to share this recipe with me. One of my Bengali friend’s mum helped me perfect this spice blend and I am glad to share it with you all here.
This is a blend of dry red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, star anise and rock salt. Exact measurements and process is in the recipe card below.
If you like this jhaal muri masala recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handle.
This snack made with baby potatoes, has everything that brings back my nostalgia. This was my favourite snack while growing up in Kolkata. Street vendors served them in a bowl made with dried leaves and I used to gobble it up within no time. The tears that flowed down the eyes after that, due to the spice and heat of this delicious snack is a topic for another day 😂.
It hits all the right notes of my taste buds. This is spicy, tangy, super fiery and ain’t for the faint hearted. It is spiced with lots of green chillies, jhaal muri masala (Kolkata spice – recipe provided in the recipe card notes), tamarind and other spices. It does not have onion or garlic (I promise you won’t miss them) and is so quick to make.
Cool your palette with lemon water as you gobble them up or wash it down with a mug of chilled beer on a weekend evening. Despite the spice and heat, it’s super addictive!!!
If you like this Kolkata Street style dum aloo recipe, or have questions about it, do let me know in the comments below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handles.
Pressure cook baby potatoes to one whistle and immediately release the steam. They should be just tender and not over cooked. Drain and peel them.
Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a pan and sauté potatoes until they form a crisp layer and turn golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan heat remaining 2 tbsp mustard oil. Add bay leaf and dry red chillies. Add cumin seeds.
Add the green chillies, and ginger. Sauté for 3-4 mins. Add the jhal muri masala in 1/4 cup water and mix in. Let it cook for 2-3 mins, or until it releases oil.
Add the chopped onions and let it cook until it turns a bit mushy.
Mix in all the dry spices and salt. Then add the potatoes. Cook for 4-5 mins.
Add in the tamarind pulp. Continue to cook it over medium low for another 2-3 mins until the potatoes are tender enough and the masalas coat the potatoes well.
These delicious treats are vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free and guilt free. I bet you cannot stop at one. This is a great option for kids snack, post meal dessert cravings and mid day snacking.
My love for dark chocolate makes me experiment and research on new recipes more frequently than I do with any other ingredient. I have used maple syrup in this recipe, but feel free to replace it with agave or honey.
For a nut-free option, replace the ground almonds with the same amount of oat flour.
Using a good quality couverture is really important for this recipe or any other recipe that requires chocolate in it. I have used Van Houten dark chocolate couverture for this. use whichever brand is locally available to you. Tempering the chocolate well is crucial for the sheen and gloss finish on the chocolate. I have explained how to temper your chocolate in the recipe card below.
If you like this Oats and Chocolate hobnobs recipe, leave your thoughts below in the comments section. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handle.
Mix together all the ingredients except dark chocolate couverture.
Scoop them in a lined baking tray. Flatten them into cookies shape.
Bake them in a preheated oven at 180 C for 12-15 mins or until the edges turn golden brown. Let it cool down.
Meanwhile chop dark chocolate couverture and melt in a double boiler.
Temper the chocolate until it looks shiny and glossy (pour the chocolate onto a marble or other cool surface. Use a spatula to stir and scrape the chocolate across the surface to cool it down).
Load the chocolate on the cookies and let it sit in the refrigerator for 15 mins. Sprinkle some more crushed almonds on top.Enjoy!!!
Keyword Oats and chocolate cookies, healthy bakes, easy baking recipes
A food stylist, photographer, and blogger. After leading Human Resources for several years in India and the US, my inner calling prompted me to work on a dream and a vision envisaged by my younger self many years ago. Being creatively inclined and with an interest in food, I decided to embark on my journey towards endless and limitless possibilities.
